Mainly for Students: Pitch perfect

As a key component of some coursework, a job interview, undertaking your APC or trying to win work, a presentation or pitch is often very much a key part of the process. Whatever its purpose and wherever and however it takes place, planning and preparation is the key foundation to success: failing to plan is planning to fail. The need to prepare is, of course, self-evident, but as much planning needs to go into the “how”, the “what” and the “why”. Knowing your “why” will be essential in every pitch or presentation you make. What do you want to achieve? What is the purpose of the pitch? Why do you want it to succeed? Asking these questions initially will help to inform the “what” and, in turn, how best to communicate it. The delivery of the “what” will always depend on factors such as: the place where it takes place; individual or team delivery; the time allocated; the specific nature of the content; the medium (face-to-face or online); the audience; and crucially how the brief/task has been understood and structured. A classical symphony or jazz? A key thing to think about is whether the content of the presentation is to be delivered like a formally composed classical piece of music or more like an improvised jazz piece. Very simply, the former will be carefully written and crafted to achieve a specific outcome. The latter is where you have decided on the melody, but within a given timeframe you are prepared to vary and respond to the occasion and audience as you go along. The truth, arguably, is that neither is right or wrong – it will depend on your confidence to go with one approach or the other (or a mix) and how you think the audience will receive it. It is also essential to be adaptable, both in the planning and delivery phases of a presentation or pitch. Things do not always go to plan, and being able to be flexible in your approach or have alternative strategies available will pay dividends. Pace, volume and style Whatever approach or mix of the above two styles you use, much will be down to the quality of the delivery. The first approach is similar to an actor delivering a scripted speech or part in a play. Crucially, however, thought must be given to pace, volume and style of delivery – otherwise the hard work of the playwright or screenwriter can be lost. So, lesson one – practise different approaches, by yourself and in front of friends if possible, and work out what might work best. It might sound an odd idea, but reading poetry aloud is a good way to practise oratory skills. Nerves If you find presenting stressful or nerves affect your performance, then be aware that you may present more quickly than you realise. Try to slow down your delivery and take breaths between each sentence or section. Harnessing a certain amount of nervous energy can be a positive thing, though, just like a diver on the high board or a footballer about to take a penalty. Body language While your voice is a crucial part of a presentation’s effectiveness, it is important to recognise that, in terms of audience impressions, your body language can have just as big an impact. An oft-cited piece of work by research pioneer Albert Mehrabian found that the words spoken are less impactful than the voice, and even less so than body language. While there is much controversy over the methodology and outcome of Mehrabian’s work, there is no doubt that body language does have an impact. Simple things can help, such as: smiling (at the outset and the end and where appropriate in between); eye contact with the audience (rather than at the ceiling or some distant place beyond the end of the room); and moving with purpose to make a point with your hands (rather than fidgeting or rocking from side to side). Nerves can again affect your body language, and it is very important to be self-aware when you are presenting. A great way to provide your own feedback is to video your presentation and watch yourself back. You will pick up on habits or small things that you can be aware of and change. Elevator pitch A classic idea in terms of making business presentations is the “elevator pitch”. The thinking here is around the short time you might have in explaining a business proposal as you travel up in a lift from the lobby to the boardroom where you will present. The elevator pitch is composed of the following propositions. It starts with a so-called “pain statement”. This needs to set out the problem to be solved and/or the opportunity to be grasped. This is followed by a “value proposition”, which needs to: be succinct; be easy to understand; provide a profit or fulfil some need; be irrefutable; and not raise more questions than it answers. Telling a story The best presentations tell a story. This keeps the audience engaged – who doesn’t like to know what happens next in the latest thriller or drama on TV? Having a good beginning and good end to a presentation is very important and key to the best stories. Some commentators talk about “bookending” a talk. Think about how the opening riff of a great song really pulls you into it, and how a good ending is impactful rather than just fading away: first and last impressions count. The opening may be an opportunity to tell a short story or anecdote – or perhaps something in the news that has direct relevance to the content. Think too about how your ending can link to the beginning, so that whatever is posed at the outset is resolved or underlined at the end. It can sometimes be a good idea to start with the answer to the task and then explain how you got there. Again, it will depend, but if you think of written business reports, they will often start with an executive summary. Clients and academic staff like to know that you have got an answer and then the rest of the presentation is explaining your work. It may be impactful to leave it to the last page like an Agatha Christie crime novel, but more often than not that doesn’t work for business or academic presentations. The middle section of your presentation also needs to have a clear structure, taking the audience logically through your key points and avoiding overloading them with too much information. The end must leave a good lasting impression, summarising and tying up all the various strands of the talk with something impactful and memorable. “Tell them what you’re going to tell them, tell them, and then tell them what you told them,” some pundits argue. Powers of persuasion This ties neatly into what Aristotle has to offer on presentations. Peter Thompson, in his 1998 book Persuading Aristotle: The timeless art of persuasion in business, negotiation and the media, sets out how the Greek philosopher described three essential ingredients to being persuasive: logos, pathos and ethos. The first is being clear and logical; the second that things are said with passion or enthusiasm; and the third is that you are ethical and can be trusted. Presenting any two without the third is going to make it hard to convince anyone. Thompson also sets out a case for being sensitive to the differences in audience personality types. Dividing us into four basic personality types – auditor, shaker, sharer and communicator – he argues that appealing to an auditor type but presenting as a pure communicator may not achieve a positive outcome. In this scenario, the auditor type is a quiet, introverted thinker who wants evidence and cool objectivity from the speaker, rather than a colourful speaker who talks more about feelings than how something will factually work. Equally, an introverted sharer speaker who works on feelings is less likely to impress an outgoing, logical shaker type. The strategy, then, is to try as best you can to address the different mindsets of all four personality types. Visual aids Finally, a good visual aid or slide deck is vital to some presentations. That said, not all presentations require a visual support and may be better with sole reliance on you and your oral abilities. If, however, you do use Microsoft PowerPoint or similar, consider adopting the following: The 5/5/5 rule – no more than five words per line of text, five lines of text per slide or five text-heavy slides in a row. Professional fonts in at least 18 point size (or as big as you can make it). Clear colours – avoid light text on a light background and consider readability and accessibility (for example, no red on green, which can be problematic for colour-blind readers). Appropriate graphics to support the text. Minimal animations, which can be distracting or cheesy looking. Think about supplementing slides with a poster, plan or artefact that you can refer to directly to good effect. Conclusion Planning carefully and delivering effectively are key. It is much more than just simply what you say – it’s how you say it and what the audience sees. The “why” and “what” are essential in terms of content, but it is the “how” that can, and does, make the difference. Whatever you do, practise presenting as much as you can – make the most of any opportunities that arise, and ask others for constructive feedback so that you can continually improve. Good presentation or pitching skills can transform your coursework grades, job interview and future career. Jen Lemen is a director of Property Elite, which provides support, training and CPD to RICS APC candidates, qualified property professionals and students Mainly for Students is edited by Paul Collins, a senior lecturer at Nottingham Trent University. He welcomes suggestions for the column and can be contacted at paul.collins@ntu.ac.uk Photo © Product School/Unsplash